WTF?! - Pajama Party (1964)

WTF?! - Pajama Party (1964)

"When the Pajama Tops meet the Pajama Bottoms someone's gonna have a Fit!"

Having breakfast at dinner time can be such a fun treat. After our beloved Annette Funicello passed last week we decided to have some friends over our house and break out our 16mm print of the 1964 crazy fun teen flick Pajama Party, starring Annette Funicello, Tommy Kirk, Elsa Lanchester, Dorothy Lamour, Buster Keaton and the back of Frankie Avalon's head. (more on that in a bit)


As our friends gathered, wearing their PJs and robes, we all took part in some yummy waffles with fruit, mimosas, and other breakfast fare. We fired up the projector and seconds later we were plunged into bed with the crazy story that is Pajama Party.

Released in the winter of 1964, Pajama Party is the story of Go Go (Tommy Kirk) a half-witted Martian sent down to earth to initiate the takeover of the planet by the Martians. Here he meets Aunt Wendy (Elsa Lanchester), a well-to-do heiress and Connie (Annette Funicello) a good girl "on the make." A second storyline involves J. Sinister Hulk (Jesse White) and his crew plotting to steal Aunt Wendy's fortune; and even a third storyline with Eric Von Zipper (Harvey Lembeck) planning revenge on the beach kids for getting "footprints in his sand." Lembeck was in ALL 6 beach films, which were produced and released over the span of 3 and half short years.

Gals of Pajama Party

Cameos include Dorothy Lamour in a film-stopping dance number at the local dress shop. Her number "Where Did I Go Wrong?" had our guest shrieking with laughter; and Don Rickles entertains as Go Go's "managing officer."

Previewing in November of 1964, opening in 50 Los Angeles theaters and Drive-Ins on December 2nd, and aimed at the 15-25 year old movie goers;  Pajama Party is produced by American International Pictures and its fearless leader Samuel J. Arkoff. Arkoff mastered the art of taking a mediocre budgeted plot line, marketing it to the youngsters, tapping into their hormones and angst, and profiting on it. He was once quoted saying, "None of the beach movies ever lost money. They all made a profit."

The jury is still out on why Frankie Avalon wasn't featured in the film. We mostly see the very back of his head until the very end of the film when Avalon "reveals" it was him as the master commander the whole time. Some say that because the budget for Pajama Party was a mere $200,000 (Beach Party's budget would chime in at a whopping $600,000) AIP didn't have the amount of money to pay Avalon his desired fee, so they essentially cut his larger role into a cameo. More likely is that in the fall of '64 Frankie Avalon was busy shooting I’ll Take Sweden. AIP hired Kirk to appear with his frequent co-star Annette, from the Disney days. Disney was slowly "weaning" out Kirk because as he was growing older his general appearance and demeanor was reaching a "questionable" feminine side. (Tommy was outed by his boyfriend’s irate mother in the spring of '65 and fired off the set of The Monkey's Uncle by Disney.) AIP promoted Kirk's appearances more strongly than they promoted Avalon, and the chemistry on screen carried over into Pajama Party.

Boys on the Beach

Tommy Kirk is not without his set of bulging swimsuits and offering outfits mostly provided by Aunt Wendy. He does his fair share of chasing, including Swedish bombshell Helga (Bobbi Shaw) and Buster Keaton's American Indian character, Chief Rotten Eagle. Don Rickles even jokes "...knowing him, he'll probably catch the Indian!"

This delightful film is no Citizen Kane but it sure is entertaining. Look closely and you'll see a young Teri Garr (billed as Teri Hope) and Toni Basil (of "Mickey" fame) in the dance sequences. In her autobiography Speedbumps: Flooring It Through Hollywood, Garr writes fondly about her time spent with choreographer/friend David Winters on the film. She also talks about the day the director asked if anyone can stunt dive; "I can stunt dive." said Garr, knowing full well she couldn't and that stunt divers can make a little extra money. "What do you know how to do?" said the director. "I know how to do a Blony." (Garr made that up) "A Blony?" "Yes," said Garr. "Well how much would you want for it?" Garr replied, "500 dollars." Seeing that the director was distressed by her rate she replied, "OK, I'll do it for $250."

The cast also features the wonderful singer Donna Loren,

crooning the song "Among the Young," in a wonderful beach number feature slow sultry Susan Hart (who in every scene her dancing is so hot it seems to boil punch in the punchbowl, wilt flowers, and ignite volcanoes); also represented is Beach Maven Candy Johnson. Pajama Party was Johnson's final film in the series. At that point choreographer David Winters was using more of his friends like Garr and Basil in the numbers, and slowly pushing the veterans into the background. The supporting cast always "supported" the openings of these low budget masterpieces with public appearances in the most humble of settings. Donna Loren hosted a Thanksgiving parade in Silver Springs that year. Gossip columnist and woman-around-town Dorothy Kilgallen also makes an odd but fun cameo as a woman falling on and off one of the Rats' motorcycles during a crazy chase scene. Dorothy Kilgallen was always in the public eye with her column as well as game shows like What's My Line?.

When Buster Keaton was interviewed regarding his Indian character and what filming Pajama Party was like, he would simply reply "harrumph!" It was evident that most players in this game were doing it just for the paycheck. Pajama Party is arguably one of the best of AIP's beach movies solely for the fact that it exists simply to delight and entertain. Its ingenuous spirit works, even though the plot line is thin and the clunky dialogue is unpolished. Annette is not without her songs as well. "It's That Kind of Day," and "There Has to Be a Reason" are fun and lightly melodic. There's also some wonderful incidental music by tiki great Les Baxter. Wonderful WTF moments include;  Crazy opening credits, produced by Butler-Glouner in LA. (Butler-Glouner did tons of opening sequences for AIP.) Annette's "Stuffed Animal" song where she romantically sings about the joys of owning a creepy stuffed animal vs. dealing with boys; Annette's "Pajama Party" theme song, arriving near the end of the film. (one of our guests even exclaimed, "FINALLY! The Pajama Party!"; Racist Indian jokes from Buster Keaton; racist boobie jokes from the Norwegian (It was the 60s that's all I'm saying); and the all too crazy plot with too many antagonists.

 
Pajama Party is a celebration. It's not a deep sleep, but like waking up from a pleasant dream the next morning. Rent the DVD today on MGM home video. Better yet, buy it. You'll want to have it around and watch it whenever you're looking for a fun, guilty pleasure.

New CD Compilation

Original LP

(82 Min)

WTF?! - It's A Gift (1934)

WTF?! - It's A Gift (1934)

"LOOK THIS GIFT IN THE FACE 

IF YOU WANT A BIG HORSE-LAUGH!"

We all have our aspirations and goals. Everyday I'm sure many of us get ready for work for a job we're just not thrilled with, but know that it's not what makes our world go round; it's just helping us "spin it" until the happy grateful moments can arrive. W.C Fields made his career based on this. If he wasn't a curmudgeonly dentist or delightful drunk he was usually playing the man who gets the "fuzzy end of the lollipop." 

Never is this more entertaining that in the 1934 classic It's A Gift. In It's A Gift Fields plays henpecked husband, flustering father and small grocery store owner Harold Bisonette; a man who begrudgingly goes about his daily tasks hoping for something better. When Harold is informed by his son Norman (Tommy Bupp) that his Uncle Bean is at death's door he plans to spend his inheritance on a California orange grove. A move West is in store for his over-bearing petulant wife Amelia (Kathleen Howard), self-centered daughter Mildred (Jean Rouverol), and meddling Norman. Harold purchases the grove from Mildred's beau, John Durston (Julian Madison), and informs his family they're migrating to sunny CA. There's just one problem; the grove is a barren wasteland with a dilapidated shack for a house. Will Harold ever be able to squeeze out his dreams from life's oranges he's been handed? 

Fields and his pooch

It's A Gift showcases an extremely talented group of collaborators. It's no surprise that this film delighted the masses when it was released in 1934. New York Times film reviewer Andre Sennwald called it "... the best screen comedy on Broadway." Directed by Norman McCloud (Horse Feathers, Topper, Secret Life of Walter Mitty) its staging is simple and eloquent. McCloud seems to allow Fields to take his pace and do what he does best on the screen. Jack Cunningham's script takes the viewer on a delightful journey into the heart of our main character. 

Filmed at the Paramount Ranch in Agoura Hills, CA, It's A Gift is a great example of what was the juggernaut of Paramount Studios in the 30s. Presented by Paramount founder Adolph Zuckor It's A Gift shot its feature footage and scenes during a 6 week stint from September to October, 1934 and was released just one short month after in November of 1934. No less than 8 other writers (including Fields) contributed to the concepts and "gags" of It's A Gift. At this time of the industry comics like Fields, the Marx Brothers, and Abbott & Costello all tried out their material on stage, in vaudeville or the theatrical circuit. The best biggest laugh-getters usually ended up in their films. Gift was Fields' 5th movie released that year alone and the sixteenth sound film of his career. It was one of over 700 Paramount Productions, filmed between 1929 and 1949. The films were later bought by MCA/Universal and released on TV, VHS, and then DVD. Universal still owns the rights today. In 2010 It's A Gift was added to the National Film Preservation Board’s National Film Registry. 

Maurice Chevalier and a newly discovered Baby LeRoy.

A delightful added offering of the film is child star Baby LeRoy. Baby LeRoy took the nation by storm and Paramount had a way of creating that whirlwind. Born at a Salvation Army hospital in 1932 Baby LeRoy was left fatherless. At 6 months old he was then discovered by Paramount as part of a search for the Maurice Chevalier film A Bedtime Story. Chevalier plays a well-to-do playboy abandoning his own grown-up "babies" to take care of an abandoned infant. When baby LeRoy's Grandfather signed the contract with Paramount not only was LeRoy "underage" but so was his 16 year old birth mother. A Bedtime Story was a big success and the public wanted more of adorable Baby LeRoy. At that time he was the youngest actor ever to achieve a star billing. In 1934 baby LeRoy even received the official "key to the city" from then Los Angeles Mayor Shaw.

It's A Gift was LeRoy's 10th film and he performed in 15 films in the span of just 4 years. LeRoy appeared in several films with Fields. Off-set rumors reported Fields had grown not only tired of working with LeRoy but fearful that he was stealing scenes out from under our blossom-nosed comedian. Fields was not happy that LeRoy was getting a second billing for It's A Gift with some insiders even claiming he threatened LeRoy with an ice pick!

Wonderful WTF moments from It's A Gift include; Harold trying to shave and dodge his puerile daughter; an unzipped store customer who just wants his cumquats; baby LeRoy creating a molasses nightmare; Carl LaFong (you'll know what I mean when you watch it!); the fore-mentioned harrowing ice pick; a private grounds’ picnic; and the REAL pronunciation of "Bisonette."

It's A Gift is available on DVD by renting or purchasing THE W.C. FIELDS COMEDY COLLECTION. (2004. Universal) It comes in a 2 disk version or a 4 disc version. Visitors/residents of California can see the actual areas where Paramount shot It's A Gift. It's now known as the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area. So pop some popcorn, sit down with a loved one, and watch It's A Gift. You'll tickle your funny bone and warm your heart. That, my friends, is the best gift of all.